About

Pixel Vision - The handmade portable game system

SEK 685,877

pledged of SEK 400,000 goal

211

backers

Hello

My name is Love Hultén, and I'm a craftsman, designer and game enthusiast from Sweden.
In my work, I'm fusing modern technology with traditional artisan knowledge, creating a unique blend of function and aesthetics. Video gaming has always been a huge passion of mine, and since I opened my studio three years ago, I've spent most days and nights trying to come up with innovative objects related to gaming. My handmade consoles are all personal tributes to a time when limitations created masterpieces using only a few pixels, but they are also nostalgic visions in a world of throwaway excess and economic efficiency gone awry.

I'm a perfectionist and impeccable finish is a must. For delicate execution and total control during production, everything is produced, polished, and assembled by myself in Gothenburg, Sweden.

One man

Finalizing these handcrafted designs takes time. And when the hours increase, so does the pricing. My most recent products R-Kaid-R and Pixelkabinett 42 are no exceptions. Most people could never afford my work, and that's very excluding, sadly.

Pixelkabinett 42 (2015) & R-Kaid-R (2014)

Pixel Vision

Meet Pixel Vision, a handmade pocket sized portable game system made from solid walnut. This foldable console, inspired by the Game Boy Advance SP, measures only 95x95x45mm and is built around a system emulating classic consoles like the NES, Atari 2600, Game Boy and many more.

Pixel Vision let you enjoy the classics in first class, and can store over 10.000 games. Add your own favorites through USB and create a personal game library. The unit provides eight hours of gaming per charge and the custom made soft case keeps the unit well protected from external damage when on the run.

Protective soft case

Pixel Vision is an handcrafted toy for the dedicated gamer. It's a link between the present and the past and a tribute to gaming. Each unit is processed with utmost care and comes in a very limited edition of only 500 units. The console is made from solid American walnut and cast acrylic. The acrylic has a smooth and creamy satin finish and gives the panels a very scratch resistant surface. The matte finish also keeps fingerprints away, unlike the glossy piano black surfaces being found on most modern devices. The walnut casing has a beautiful oil finish, and Pixel Vision will breathe through time!

Note that Pixelvision is a handmade object, not made through industrial manufacturing. The final pricing covers the hours going into the wood work.

The unique friction hinge is custom made from American walnut as well, and can be adjusted with a small screwdriver.

Friction hinge in solid American walnut

"Pearl Edition"

Apart from the 500 consoles, 20 additional “Pearl” units will be made. The “Pearl” units have D-Pad & buttons made from solid brass, shimmering matte black panels and an exclusive inlay on top, made from genuine Mother of pearl shell veneer. These extremely limited editions are signed and numbered, and comes with a collectors certificate.

For interface, Pixel Vision uses a slightly modified version of the open source, multi-platform frontend Retroarch from Libretro. Thanks to a built-in hot-key function, you'll have a lot of handy in-game options such as reset game, save/load state and volume adjustment, using only the D-pad and A+B buttons.

A vintage touch

With customized OpenGL programming, the Pixel Vision simulates an old CRT monitor using barrel distortion and a soft shader. This effect gives the slightly curved LCD bezel authenticity, and it feels like playing on an older TV.

Barrel distortion display to simulate an old CRT monitor

Game systems

The console is capable of emulating some of the most classic game systems:

Atari 800

Atari 2600

Atari 5200

Atari 7800

Game Boy

Game Boy Color

*Game Boy Advance

*MAME

Nintendo

*Super Nintendo

Sega Master System

*Sega Genesis

Sega Game Gear

Intellivision

ZX Spectrum

Note that Pixel Vision uses the Nintendo A+B button layout, not ideal for most games on systems marked above with *

Post-era / New games

In addition to the classic games, there are also a few new games out there available for Pixel Vision. Through dedicated people, there are some amazing new games being made for systems like the NES. Games that are true to the platform, using the very same hardware restrictions and limitations used decades ago. These games are called “homebrew” games. I'm happy to announce that some of the best creators behind these homebrew games have jumped on board the project. New homebrew games keep popping every now and then, so keep your eyes peeled!

During the last couple of years I've received tons of inquiries from people all over the world, interested in my work. Sadly, these are mostly people who can't afford it, and I don't like being excluding. Without losing focus on quality, I want my work to be a bit more accessible. I now aim to create a “budget” product to meet these people, half-way. The problem is, I'm still a material nerd and I'm still a perfectionist. I could never live with releasing a product lacking in terms of quality and finish. Finding this balance has been a big dilemma while designing the console. But six moths have passed since I started, and I now have a final prototype.
But to be able to bring Pixel Vision to realization I'm in need of your help. To keep down production costs and make this doable, I need to order a lot of material, a lot of hardware and work day and night for many months. I also need to make a custom circuit board for 500 units and put together a team of four people to help me out during the stages of final assembly and shipping logistics. I don't have that kind of a budget, and that's where you guys come in. I self-funded the project till now, but need the Kickstarter community to turn the project into reality. With financial help, risks are minimal and I can make this happen. Let's bring Pixel Vision to life!

Specifically, the funds will go towards the following:

Wood working and overall production

Prototyping
PCB design and manufacturing

Final assembly (A team of four people)

Production plan

November
PCB prototyping

December PCB manufacturing / Purchase components

January
Production and final assembly, 1st batch (1-250)

February
Shipping, fulfilment, product delivery to backers, 1st batch

Mars Production and final assembly, 2nd batch (251-500)

April
Shipping, fulfilment, product delivery to backers, 2st batch

Risks and challenges

I have checked with my PCB manufacturers and feel I'm are on the right road for a successful production. That said, there are many unforeseen delays and I'm working hard to minimize the risks and to bring the product to your doorstep as swiftly as possible. This is my first run of the product and naturally, delays can occur. Timing, unforeseen circumstances, delays from manufacturing, tooling, packaging and distribution are risks with launching any product. I will have an excellent team behind me during final stages and hope to minimize this as much as possible and feel confident that my hard work, experience, and dedication will overcome these potential obstacles as quickly as possible.